Howl of Epiphany
by Ziilaah
Summary: Hundreds of miles away from home, two strangers find their way into Beacon Hills. They're fortunate enough to be welcomed with open arms, but are pulled into the supernatural mayhem. One werewolf wants to protect them at all costs, especially since they remind him of his deceased family. Derek is drawn to one of them, and the other...well he's willing to wear fairy wings for her.
1. Prologue

**I only own my OC's**

* * *

 _ **Prologue**_

A burning sensation filled my aching eyes as I tried to stay awake. Unfortunately, Marleigh was in the back seat asleep like a baby which means no to music of any way to stay awake. Luckily, we weren't that far from a motel. The abandoned streets were part of just another unfamiliar town. The faded blue and white sign had a flickering lighting shining on the word 'Rose Inn'. That's where we would stay for a few nights. I placed the stolen vehicle right in front of the lobby to keep Marleigh close. A plumpy, middle aged woman sat behind the counter, figuring out a Sudoku puzzle.

She averted her attention away from the game when I stood right in front of the counter. "Oh! Hello. Welcome and how may I help you tonight?" Her voice was a tad perky and had a slight glimmer of concern. I would be too if a young lady came in for a room alone at three in the morning.

"Hi. I'd like a room for a week. A queen bed, please." I was too tired to be entering small talk. The dark circles under my eyes begged for more than four hours of sleep. Knowing my body, I'll probably sleep till noon, but knowing Marleigh, I'll probably sleep until nine.

"That will be around nine-hundred dollars. I don't mean to be rude, but can you afford that type of money?" Even though the question was out of caring curiosity, it was still a bit offensive.

I let out a frustrated sigh and grabbed a wad of money. "Here's one-thousand. The extra can go towards any inconvenience." Like if I accidentally cut the electricity.

She suddenly became very cautious of me and eyed the phone to her left. "Now I don't want any sort of trouble coming into my inn. I will call the police-" This was not the time of my day that I wanted to have this conversation.

Sleep deprivation was beginning to get the worst of me. "No Madam, I didn't mean to come off suspicious, I've just been driving all night-"

"Nadia?" A sweet voice spoke; a voice that should be sound asleep.

I swiftly turned to see her tiny, sleepy body walking to me. "Marleigh, your suppose to be in the car." I kneeled down to her level. I whispered, "Listen, I don't want her to call the police so if she asks, tell the truth." Marleigh nodded slowly as I picked her up and put her to my side. My heart suddenly started to beat a bit faster. This night would not end well if the lady did call the police.

"You have a daughter?" Suddenly her hostile behavior vanished. This could end up with me sleeping in a jail cell or in a semi-comfortable bed. I really wanted the bed.

"No-no she's…I wish she was…she's my ex's daughter." My breathing became shallow as I continued. I didn't want to remember the long nights from before. "I took custody when he came home drunk and-he tried to…to um take advantage of me." I avoided eye contact with the woman. Tears began to form in my eyes out of sleep, not pain. "He became violent and we had to run."

"Shouldn't the birth mother be taking care of her?" She relaxed back to when I first spoke to her, but still glared at me. Marleigh's presence was going more towards my favor than against. My eyes managed to catch a photo of the woman with a younger girl, probably a bit older than me, holding a baby. She was a mother and grandmother. Her sympathy came from her own experiences, hopefully without violence.

My head and heart settled down after I knew I was going to have a peaceful night. I took a deep breath before saying, "She died in car accident a couple years back… I think that's what caused Leo to become a drunk…" I whispered the last part.

"Nadia I'm tired." Marleigh let out a soft yawn and rubbed her eyes, succeeding at being the cutest kid on Earth.

I held her closer and softly said, "I know sweetie, we'll be in a bed soon enough." I planted a kiss on her forehead. I turned back to the woman who no longer held a glare at my head.

"I won't charge you extra. Just go sleep and we can discuss your predicament later on this evening." She placed a key with a chain with the number twenty-six. A shaky breath of relief escaped my lips. Marleigh held onto the key since she'd most likely not lose the key unlike me who misplaces everything all the time.

"Thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you Madam." She just gave a warm smile. Marleigh and I returned with a big grin on both our faces. This was a successful night and one that deserved a nice long sleep.

My feet raced out of the lobby before the lady had more questions. Marleigh jumped down from me and I quickly emptied the car of our luggage. The car was a problem for another day. We arrived at room twenty-six, I locked the door behind me and stared at the room. Two beds. Two queens. I looked down at Marleigh and she was just as amazed. We could never afford a room with two beds. The woman was too nice and thoughtful, and that act of kindness was something Marleigh and I both needed. Next thing I know she jumped on the bed and just laid there with her face buried in a pillow. She said something, but I could not understand a word. "Time to get ready for bed, little one."

I laid on the bed, staring at the ceiling while Marleigh giggled. "Little one? Your the little one." Her innocence placed a small smile on my face. My mind begged for her to fall asleep quickly.

"Excuse me? Last time I checked I was a giant compared to you, now go get your pajamas from the suitcase." She just laughed and did as I told her. I rested my eyes for moment before I felt something hit me on my stomach. My head raised up to see Marleigh.

"Here's yours, you should get ready to sleep too." My pajamas rested on my stomach. She was too kind. She was just a child. I don't want her to live through anymore tragedy to spoil her sweet nature.

"You're sweet, Kiddo." I lightly pinched her cheek. "I'll be right over to brush my teeth." Fifteen minutes later we were laying on our separate beds, ready to fall into deep slumber.

"Good night, Nadia!"

"Night, Mar." I almost mumbled due to the rapid sleep coming over me. I was about to enter dreamland when I felt a weight appear on my side along with small arms wrapping around my waist. "Are you okay, Mar?"

Her head nodded in response. "I don't like being alone. Please? Just tonight. Pretty please?" That sentenced crushed a tiny part of me. I never want her to feel alone because I would always be at her side, I promised her and I never want to break that promise.

A slight chuckle escaped my mouth. "Of course." I wrapped my arms tighter around her as she nuzzled her head into my chest area.

It was quiet for a few moments until Marleigh spoke. "Sister, what is this place?"

"It's Beacon Hills, Pup. This is our new home."

* * *

 **Hi everyone! Hope you enjoyed reading my new story. You can check out my other Teen Wolf story (Isaac/OC) if you'd like, but I will warn you that I did that story a while back so the writing style might be different. This story was craeted when my friend and I started picturing Derek with fairy wings and playing with a child, then escalated to how Lydia would make her, her fashion protege; Scott showing her lacrosse; Mama McCall having her as a helper at the hospital, and so on. So I kinda want to focus it on those interactions :)**

 **It will be a slow build up for Derek/Nadia(oc) romantically, but their friendship will begin as soon as they meet. First few chapters are more about Nadia and Marleigh adjusting their life in Beacon Hills, and everyone else will be introduced as the story begins to correlate with the show.**

 **Thank you for reading! And maybe you'll stick around? :) I always appreciate reviews, they make my day and inspire me to continue writing.**

 **Love, Z**

 **(p.s. should I make it in third person perspective? I'm not very confident in writing in that perspective, but it might go better with the story, I'm used to first perspective so third is out of my comfort zone. Idk, what do you think?)**

 **(p.p.s. just letting you know, this story will probably be updated every other week)**


	2. Chapter 1

**I only own my OC's**

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 **Chapter One: Home Sweet Home** _ **  
**_

 _One Month Later_

Everywhere I turned there were trees surrounding me along with rapid footsteps following me. Whenever I turned, there was no one. My feet immediately stopped as the air was slowly being sucked out of my surroundings. My breathing became paralyzed as the whole forest was engulfed in an eerie silence. Someone else was there, but none of my senses could help; it was as if I was human. My heart thumped throughout my body as a growl came out of the darkness.

 _Thwack!_

My body jolted right up from my nightmare. A tiny foot was right below my chin. My jaw had a small ache and I knew that Marleigh hit me in her sleep…again. The clock clearly displayed 3:48AM. Now that my body was awake, it was impossible to fall back to sleep. Luckily Marleigh was a heavy sleeper. I managed to slip out of the room undetected. The air was cooler than how it was back home, but it was an easy adjustment.

The front of the inn was barely lit and a familiar person was inside figuring out her sudoko puzzles. "Hello, Ms. Molly," my hoarse voice whispered. I coughed in attempt to clear up my voice.

"Oh! Hello, dear. Did Marleigh wake you again?" Her gleeful eyes brought a smile to my face. Looking down I saw that she opted out of Sudoku and was doing a crossword puzzle. She was one of few people that radiated in love at all times. After our first night here, she was a but nosy, but quickly grew a liking to Marleigh and I.

My groggy state caused a delayed reply. "Yes and of course it would be on our last night on that incredible bed." The seat next to her was quickly occupied by my drowsy body. My eyes faintly browsed at the puzzle on the desk while I rested head on my arm which laid on the surface.

"It's a shame you two have to go." Her head crooked to the side as she looked at me. A gentle smile appeared on my face.

"A bird has to leave it's nest at some point." A yawn followed my reply.

"Haha! Quite true. Do you want a cup of hot tea? Maybe that'll help you go back to sleep." Tea sounded perfect, but it wouldn't help me, I'd just end up being kicked again.

I kept my eyes on the puzzle, slowly waking up."Trust me, Ms. Molly, sleep is not the problem. Marleigh has too much energy, even at night. But thank you." Suddenly, a fluffy, warm blanket was placed over my shoulders. "Oh, thank you. You must have these in your back pocket by now."

She sat back down with a light laugh. "That's the plan, sweetheart. Now why don't we finish this puzzle before daybreak?"

"Sounds like a plan." That's exactly what happened for the next few hours. It was saying bye to another home and saying hello to a new one.

* * *

"This is it?" Marleigh's bratty alter ego surfaced.

I opened my mouth to defend the place, but held back because it really wasn't that great. "Sorry, Kid. This was what I could afford right now." I held her close to my side as we looked around the beat up apartment from the entrance.

The faded cream paint was peeling from some corners and other corners had chips or scratches. The brown couch was beaten, there was a tear at the bottom pillow, and a questionable stain on the side. To the left of the couch was a tiny kitchen that could barely be considered livable with cabinets made from old wood. The carpet utterly dirty with various stains, and there were a few spots that showed where the previous furniture was placed. There were two holes on the wall where a television was previously placed. In front of us was the entrance to the bedroom, and there was a small view of a rundown mattress that would need to be burned immediately.

"Moma and Da would get a better place." I had to physically bite my tongue in order to not say, well they're not here so deal with it. This was going to be a hard adjustment for the both of us.

"Well, Pup, we're gonna have to deal with it. At least until I earn more money."

"Then go get some." I smiled at her innocence and pulled her closer to my side.

"It's not that easy, you know that…" She kept silent. This wasn't our first rodeo, it's our third home in six months. It hurts her to have less stability and even more without our mom. "Hey look at me"-I kneeled down to her eye level-"I promise you- no I give you my word that this will be the last place for a while. We'll be here for more than three months. 'Kay?"

She leaned into me while looking down. She really missed our family and home. "…pinky promise?" Her tiny pinky went out towards me.

I quickly hooked mine onto hers and said, "Double pinky promise." I gave her a short hug before a gentle push inside. Before even closing the door I told her, "Actually, let's go get some cleaning supplies."

With that we abandoned our new home for just a short time. The rest of the day consisted of cleaning, throwing away the foul furniture, and placing the inflatable bed in the room. I had bought a cheaper vacuum that got most of the dirt away from the carpet. Where the couch once stood was two large pillows over a new rug. I had a tapestry of a forest that was able to cover the wall with the noticeable holes. The bathroom had been scrubbed down with so much cleaning supplies that the smell gave me a headache from the kitchen. By the time we- I was done, I was too tired to cook. Meanwhile, Marleigh had been coloring in her coloring book most of the day. Such a big helper.

"Hey, Mar, you hungry?" I had been giving her snacks throughout the day, but leaving my stomach empty wasn't the smartest idea. The insufferable growling would be coming soon.

"Yeah…" She was distracted by something outside. I peer out the window to see a jungle gym across the street, in a park. "Can we go there?"

"Sure, Kid. After we go eat. So let's go." With those words she was already out the door before me. I had almost forgot the money because she was just speeding away, down the hall. Few blocks from where we lived there was a place called 'The Beacon Burger' and perfect for both of us. As we walked in I immediately noticed the family atmosphere. Before paying attention to Marleigh, I looked at the menu placed on the wall. Everything looked delicious. Marleigh, being the comedian that she is, dramatically threw herself to my side with her big eyes staring at the various burgers and her mouth wide open.

"Can we get everything?" She asked, and I simply nodded my head. From eating simple mac and cheese, or microwave food, these burgers looked like a slice of heaven to us. Having an actual meal every night seemed like a dream to us. Back at home, one of our pack elders, Ria, happily cooked for my family and I. She was like the grandmother I never had and I always wonder how she felt about our abandonment. She made the best, absolute best, ravioli with tomato rosemary sauce. Just the thought of it made my mouth water.

"Are you two ready to order?" A lively teenage girl asked us from behind the counter. It took me a minute to realize what she had said before looking behind and noticing the line that was starting to form.

"Yeah! I want the double cheese burger with extra pickles!" Marleigh enthusiastically ordered. I managed to quickly get behind her and held her a bit back. She looked like she was about to jump over the counter to eat the food in the kitchen.

The girl was slightly amused at my sisters antics. "Ha-ha, no you won't," I quickly chimed in, "She'll get the cheeseburger kids meal, and I'll get the double cheeseburger, no onions."

"Extra pickles!" She happily added. The girl, her name-tag said Abbie, looked at me for an approval. I simply nodded as I patted Marleigh's hair. She gave me a huge grin, enough to see her missing tooth, and I had no choice but to smile back. Abbie told me the total amount, and I handed her a twenty dollar bill. While she was getting the change I noticed a small sign saying 'Now Hiring'.

"You guys are hiring?" I asked while getting the change from her.

"Yup- Oh here's your number. The job is a servers position…if you're interested here's an application…" She rummaged through a few papers before finding the right one.

She was handing me the paper when an older, huskier man appeared behind her. "Are you interested in applying?" He asked with three plates on one arm and two in the other.

I hesitated from answering because as each second passed, I felt as if those burgers were going to fall right down to the floor and shattering the plates in the progress. "Uh yes. Yes, I am." I quickly smiled, and Marleigh was looking at the burgers in his hand.

"As you can see I literally have my hands full, but if you give turn in that application before you go I'll set up an interview at noon tomorrow." What? That was very unexpected. If the boss had to be here working then they really did have to get the positions filled as quickly as possible. "Of course my wife will be doing the interview, but I can easily squeeze you in."

"Yeah, of course. I'll turn this in before we leave." He said something before running off, but I was too stunned to react. Marleigh is like my good luck charm. Marleigh. I looked around and found her no where in sight. I turned behind me to the seating area to find her in a booth, swinging her legs back and forth, and eagerly waiting for her meal. The small breath I was holding finally escaped my lips.

I plopped myself across from her, and she was distracted with a paper and crayons that Abbie probably gave her while I was talking to the man. I took this brief window of silence to close my eyes and rest. Today's hard word had finally began to take it's toll on my body.

Then a voice peeped my interest. "Scott, first line? You're really hoping for that?" One of the boys asked loudly enough to originally catch my attention. They were sitting behind me, so me being the nosey person that I am decided to eavesdrop a little.

"Are you saying I have just as much chance of being in first line as you have becoming Lydia's boyfriend?" Scott, I presumed, responded almost immediately. I snickered at their small bickering. High school seemed like years ago, back when everything had hope; when I was happy. Then again, Marleigh hadn't been born, but my mother wasn't married to her father. Everything was simpler…in a way.

"I'm going to decline to answer that on the account that they are two completely different things." The other boy seemed defensive and his heart rate increased a bit. He must really like that Lydia girl.

"Right, sure. Whatever you say Stiles." Stiles? That's a strange name.

"Apart from our social decline, we will make our comeback this year. School starts in a week-" He seemed to be perked up with optimism, but I didn't continue listening to the two teenagers because my thoughts suddenly turned back to Marleigh. She hasn't even been enrolled in school yet. Shit.

I didn't even know where the school was located. She had to start kindergarten, there was no way I was going to let her fall behind just because we've been moving around a lot these past six months. My mind was about to go into overdrive if it wasn't for our food being placed down in front of us.

"There you girls go." It was the same man that had spoken to me by the cashier. "By the way, I'm Gabriel Burke. My wife and I own this place." We quickly shook hands, and, honestly, I just wanted to stuff my face into the food.

"It's very nice to meet you. I'm Nadia and this is Marleigh…" I glanced over to see Marleigh completely ignoring our conversation and happily eating her burger. "Marleigh." She looked at me with a confused look before looking at Gabriel. She gave her award winning smile only this time it had traces of food on her teeth. "She's my s-daughter."

"Very adorable. I hope you two have a good meal and maybe you'll be back tomorrow." He gave a small wave bye to Marleigh and let us eat in peace. Both of us were completely engulfed in our foods. The savory taste melted onto my tongue; I enjoyed every single bite. I had to remind Marleigh to slow down since at her rate, she could have easily choked on her food. It was understandable why she was scarfing down her food, and she learned it from me, therefore I also had to slow down. As I watched her eat a smile crept up on my face.

For just a mere, beautiful second everything seemed normal.

* * *

 **Tada! First chapter D.O.N.E . The first few chapters are about them adjusting their life in Beacon Hills, then they meet Derek, and it's sunshine and rainbows from there on :) Did you like the snippet of Stiles and Scott? I thought that'd be cute to add.**

 **Reviews are awesome, follows are awesome, you guys are awesome.**

 **Hopefully you will stick around to see what happens.**

 **With Much Love, Z**

 **(p.s. chapters will come every other week from now on. gotta balance life in between)**


	3. Chapter 2

**I only own my OCs**

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 **Chapter Two: Here and There**  


The sun was clear on my face as each step lead me back to the burger joint. Luckily, I had packed an outfit suitable for interviews. On the other hand, Marleigh had already gotten dirt on her dress. Thankfully she wasn't the one with the interview. She was skipping on ahead of me as we passed by the park, but that didn't stop her from almost running straight to the jungle gym. "Marleigh!" Her immediate stop almost made me laugh. "Later, Pup. I can't be late for this." Her obvious pout was not enough to convince me to stop for one moment, and neither were her whiny grumbles.

As we entered the restaurant, the same happy girl greeted us with a "Hello." The place was much quieter at this time. For some reason, the stillness of the place made me more nervous than before walking in. My eyes averted to the wooden wall that carefully displayed Beacon Hills High School sport teams throughout the years. It was comforting by giving a home-y vibe to the place. Yet, not enough to get me to calm my nerves.

"Hi, um I'm here for an interview."

What was her name? Ariel? Allie? Abbie! "Oh, okay. I'll let my mom know. You're welcome to sit while you wait." My attention was distracted by the wall that it didn't hit me that she was their daughter until after a moment of silence.

"Thank you," I briefly said with a smile as we turned our separate ways. I lead Marleigh in a booth near the hallway. "So Mar, can you wait here while I go talk to the boss?"

"I guess," she said with an exasperated sigh along with her eyes rolling, charming. I remember doing that to my mom; she needs to stop learning my bad habits. I had to literally bite my tongue from saying something sisterly like to her.

"Here, I bought a coloring book and crayons." Before I had fully taken out the items her arms were reaching out, and she had a big grin on her face. "I'm going to go to the bathroom, so stay here. Remember, I can hear you if anything goes wrong." She nodded her head, but her attention was on coloring a blue puppy. Then _I_ rolled my eyes as I stood up. It was sometimes hard to be both mother and sister.

As I walked towards the bathroom I could feel my hear rate increase. It felt like the force was enough to literally shake my bones. When I locked the door of the single bathroom, my breathing rapidly changed. I had gone to plenty of interviews, yet this was made me more anxious. Maybe it was because I had promised Marleigh we would stay here longer than our average trips. Maybe it was because since stepping foot in this town there has been no trace of our perpetrators. For once in a long time, we were safe. My emotions were getting the worst of me. With my head over the sink, I held onto the sides to steady my breathing. In and out, in and out…

The second I looked up I saw my vibrant gold eyes were staring back at me. My whole body tensed from seeing those eyes. It was just a reminder of what we were running away from. Instinctively my sharp teeth were showing along with some unwanted facial hair along my forehead. My head shook quick enough to make me dizzy, and enough to get rid of my alter ego. It was going damage to me emotionally and physically by suppressing my inner wolf, but it was necessary in order to watch over Marleigh.

The deep breathing exercises actually helped. A sigh of relief escaped my lips as my emotions calmed down. "You got this," I said to myself with a huge smile.

When I returned there was an older woman with chestnut, curly hair sitting across Marleigh. When she spotted me she said, "Hi, I'm Michelle Burke." She woman stood up from the booth while Marleigh continued with her crayons. We shook hands before re-focusing our attention to the interview.

"I-I'm so sorry, Ms. Burke. I just had to run to the bathroom real quick." Thank goodness for make-up, if not my face would be red from embarrassment. "I'm Nadia, Nadia Russio."

"Pleasure meeting you, Nadia. And oh no it's completely fine. I was just chatting with Marleigh here." I gave a nervous smile while looking at my sister. "Shall we go to my office? Abbie, can watch her if you'd like or she can join us."

"She'll be fine out here." Marleigh could be too distracting in serious times. Ms. Burke gave a small goodbye to Marleigh, and led me down the hall to her office. From what my body was putting me through, it felt like walking into a court hearing.

* * *

"Now do you have any questions?" Her intense brown eyes almost made me forget that I did have a lot to ask before leaving. The way she handled herself made me feel like I was in the principles office. I somehow managed to keep my composure.

"Oh yes. As I mentioned before, I am a single mother, and I truly mean that. I have no family here and her fathers family lives hundreds of miles away." Her eyes softened, signaling that she sympathetic towards my 'situation'. "If there is any emergency at her school, I need to leave immediately. I'm not saying it will happen often, but it might. Marleigh has asthma,"-lie-"and I guess the question is more about schedule flexibility and if it is alright to give an hour notice if I have to stay home? Like I said it will only be about emergencies." My nerves took the best, or worst, of me since that came out more complicated than necessary.

"Of course. Children are our priorities." From that she went off topic about her children. It was as if she was talking to me, but I was definitely not listening very well. My eyes wandered around her office. It was a small, but still roomy area. The beige walls with no windows made it a bit suffocating, but there were a few plants and flowers to liven up the area. The only furniture were three chairs, the black desk in the middle, two wide filing cabinets, and a table on the left. The table displayed the flowers while the filing cabinets were on the opposite end.

The interview ended not too long after that, then I picked up Marleigh, quite literally since she jumped onto me, and we headed out. Ms. Burke had given me information of the nearest elementary school, and said that's where our apartment landed on the school boundaries. Now we had to deal with enrollment. Awesome.

The school was architecturally open, it was mostly outdoors. There was a building that had a connected rooftop to the building across, and a playground about thirty feet ahead. Before I could let Marleigh even glance at the area, I practically shoved her through the door of the office. A woman focused on the computer glanced up. She welcomed us to the school, and quickly went to get the enrollment papers. Marleigh and I took a seat while we waited.

It was unusually quiet so it was easy to overhear a conversation from two people coming our way. "Danny, weren't you going to practice with Jackson?" A woman asked from the short hallway.

"He's been late to a million other practices, I'm sure I can get there a few minutes late, Mom," a guy stated as both were walking towards the entrance. They appeared from hallway with heartwarming smiles on their faces. "See you later." He kissed his mom on the cheek before heading out. My eyes stayed on Marleigh on the seat next to me. She was swinging her legs and looking around the room.

All I could picture was Marleigh sitting down in those tiny chairs and desks with more children her age. Whereas I could barely remember the first day of kindergarten, but knowing Marleigh, she would fit right in. Back at home she had no trouble making friends or finding something to do. The only problem that might occur is her attention skills.

"Thank you for helping today, _keiki,_ " she replied. Her son headed out the front door. Her attention was quickly averted to Marleigh. "And who might you be little one?"

Marleigh stopped her feet swinging and looked down. She was just pretending to be shy. I resisted my urge to smile since she would just glare at me. "Marleigh," her sweet voice barely said.

"What was that, sweetie?" The woman gave her a curious glance.

"…Marleigh," she said loud enough for the teacher to hear.

"Nice to meet you, Marleigh." My sweet sister looked up with her big green eyes and a small smile.

"Nice-to-meet-you-too," her voice mumbled a bit as she looked back down, and the lady just smiled.

"Hi, I'm Mrs. Mahealani," the lady held her hand out for me. It took me a bit of surprise when she introduced herself to me since she was just talking to Marleigh.

"Oh, um I'm Nadia." I firmly shook her hand as Marleigh watched our exchange. "This is my daughter, she's usually not shy, but she's starting kindergarten."

"Oooh, that exciting," she told Marleigh. She only smiles in return. "Are you from around here?"

"No, actually, we just moved here from Los Angeles." I hugged Marleigh from the side in order to feel a bit better. "Didn't we Mar?"

"Yeah…" She felt weird about lying since we had always taught her to say the truth. This was all to keep her safe. Still she shouldn't have to begin lying at such a young age. A wave of guilt washed over me as I came to the realization.

"Alright, well I will recommend Ms. Allen, she's very patient and sweet, that way Marleigh will have a smooth adjustment." The way her smile made me feel comfortable reminded me of our mother. Probably a mother thing.

"Ms. Russio?" The secretary came back.

"I'll let you two get back to your enrollment," she said sweetly, "Bye, Marleigh. Have fun in kindergarten."

She wasn't saying anything so I nudged her with my foot. "Bye." Her small hand waved to her as she stayed attached to my leg. I rolled my eyes at her antics. It didn't take that long to fill out all the papers, especially since it was just us two. There were various papers asking for spousal, or family contact information, and all of those stayed blank. We only had each other up here. The secretary tried telling me to put as much contact information, and I had to repeatedly tell her there wasn't anyone and that we were new in town.

After that she told me about the before and after school program they had that was like a daycare. Two hours before and three hours after the initial school hours. I could tell she thought I was just another teenage mother and all the judgement that came with it. She pitied me. For a short second, I almost lost control. The only thing that stopped me was Marleigh. She could sense something was wrong and hugged me tightly. My sweet, small angel.

By the time we got back home, we were both tired of walking around the town. My next investment would have to be a used car. This whole walking situation wasn't going to do well for the whole year.

She laid down on the bed and I followed suit. Both our soft snoring could be heard after five minutes.

* * *

 **Hello, everyone! Thanks for reading. This chapter was a bit more off a filler, but it's creating their lives in Beacon Hills. Did you like that little splash of Danny? For some reason when I was writing that scene, I just pictured his mom being an elementary school teacher, so I just went with the idea.**

 **I hope you enjoyed, and let me know what you thought :)**

 **Ciao! -Z**


	4. Chapter 3

**I only own my OC's.**

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 **Chapter Three: Double Scoop  
**

The following week was a bit of an adjustment period. I had started work, and Marleigh was going to begin school. By the time we went to sleep to when we had to wake up, both of us were in a groggy mood. We had, maybe, five hours of sleep. Thankfully, I had a uniform, and Marleigh had a small amount of clothes. First paycheck, once we were settled in, I promised her to go shopping for clothes because we had left a lot of our stuff back at home.

When work came along, I had to try my best not to just lay in a booth and take a nap. It was a slow day since all the schools started today. Abbie had graduated from Beacon Hills High a year ago and was taking a semester off from college to help with the restaurant. Her, and the chef, Paul, were the only ones for most of the day. The day reflected how I felt; sleepy. The grey clouds made the sky seem like it was going to be night soon. If only that were reality. There was about an hour of no customers which left us to play pointless games in the kitchen, like playing Jenga with french fries. The lunch rush came in, but since the weather was gloomy there was less people than usual. It was a good day considering my body was begging me to fall to the ground and sleep.

My shift ended an hour before Marleigh got out of her first day of school! I was so excited to hear what a good day she was going to have to say that I almost ran to her pick her up. Before heading to her, I had to change out of my grease smelling shirt. If I had normal, human senses the smell would probably not bother me as much, but alas I'm part wolf and that requires a nose like a bloodhound…or wolf.

The front of the school was packed with parents picking up their children. The noise almost gave me a headache if I hadn't noticed Marleigh standing next to her teacher, Ms. Allen. We had met before at an open house event thing they had at the school where parents could meet their children's teachers. Very informative considering I had no friggin clue what I was doing as a parent.

"Nadia!" She yelled as she sprinted over to me. My body braced itself as she flew herself onto my arms. We both had a smile on our faces and it didn't faze me that she called me by Nadia instead of mommy. "They had pizza! And we got to play with play-doe! And there's swings, and monkey bars, and a twisty slide-"

"Woah! Slow down there, Pup. I can barely understand you, and you're running out of breath!" She took a huge breath in and blew it right out into my face, along with some accidental spit. Gross, but it didn't matter since it sounded like she had an amazing time. "Better, now how would you like to go get some ice cream for your first day?" Her eyes opened so wide that I didn't notice the gigantic grin to go along with it. She jumped right off of me, skipped ahead. Her backpack was following the same rhythm. Pure sunshine on this gloomy day.

When we did get to the ice cream shop, the fatigue had finally sunk into my body. There was a father, and son; and a teenage girl ahead of us. Nadia wasted no time in getting a pre-sugar rush. Her jumping was getting a bit out of control. "Marleigh, if you don't calm down we are leaving." Her face looked so insulted, and then she pouted as she stayed still.

"You're a meanie."

"Well tough luck, you're stuck with me forever." I meant it in playful way, but the energy had suddenly died down from her. Crap. Before anything got out of hand I crouched down to her level, and held her tight. She wanted me to let her go, only I wouldn't. "At least while we are here. We are going to go back home soon, I promise." It technically wasn't a lie, but it wasn't going to be the truth for many years. "Okay?" She nodded slowly. "Kiss?" She barely pecked me on the cheek. "That's not a kiss." I grabbed her and carried her while pecking her face with kisses. Thankfully, she started giggling within seconds. We both calmed down and I still held her up. She was getting heavier by the day.

Since the only people in line were us and the teenager, the father and son were starting to order, I eavesdropped a bit. She sounded like she was new around here too. "No, mom, it's fine. I'm just going to get some ice cream and maybe a little exploring…it was so embarrassing. I got to class and I didn't even have a pen…I know, but luckily this guy, Scott, lent me one of his- oh hey I'm next, I'll call you later…okay, bye, love you too!" Then she went up to try some samples.

It had suddenly dawned on me that a certain child was being suspiciously quiet. I moved her hair with my nose and chin to see a very sleepy Marleigh. She was fighting her exhaustion and clearly losing. "Come one, Marleigh. We're next." She shook her tiny head and made no effort in getting out of my arms.

"Hi! What can I get for you today?" the teenage boy asked from behind the counter.

"Oh, hold on, sorry." I adjusted my grip on Marleigh. "Do you still want ice cream?" She nodded her head as her eyes hold a different story. "Then wake up." I gently put her down while she kept her grip on my hand.

The girl who was in front of us was looking at Marleigh in awe. "Long day?"

"Yeah, it was her first day to school," I told her while nudging Marleigh, "Right, Mar?"

"Yeah!" She smiled at the stranger along with her angelic eyes.

"Me too!" the girl enthusiastically replied to Marleigh. "Did you have fun?"

"Mhmm," Marleigh responded as her eyes were suddenly glued to the glass that displayed the ice creams.

I rolled my eyes at her as I turned back to girl. "Sorry, she gets distracted easily. This is a celebratory ice cream."

"Oh, no worries. I used to babysit back home, I'm used to a short attention span."

"Here's your rocky road," the girl behind the counter gave to the teenager. Marleigh was telling the boy all the flavors she wanted, and he kept her entertained for the small conversation I was having with the girl.

"Thank you." She turned to pay and we went back to figuring out which ice creams we wanted. We had ordered our sweet ice cream when the girl turned back around to tell Marleigh, "Have fun in school, kiddo."

"Thank you, you too!" She gave a toothy grin. Thank the universe that she was awake because I would not be able to carry her all the way home. We briefly said goodbye as she headed out the door. Few seconds later we got our ice creams, and sat down on the bench outside.

The sweet child next to me was swinging her legs and happily eating her chocolate ice cream. Between her bites she happily told me her adventures of the day. The mint-n-chip ice cream felt like heaven to me. I embraced these moments where she was happily distracted, and I got something I wanted. In all honesty, I was the one that wanted ice cream, it just happened to be Marleigh's first day. Good excuse.

* * *

 **Kind of a short chapter, but I was originally going to put this chapter and the next into one, but it was far too long. Also sorry for taking a while, I honestly thought I'd already put these two chapters up but noooope.**

 **Thanks for reading!**

 **XOXO - Z**


	5. Chapter 4

**I only own my OC's.**

* * *

 **Chapter Four: Hot Dogs and Hot Wolf  
**

A couple week goes by, and we finally get in the swing of things. A stable routine was something both of us weren't used to for a while…or at all. Back at home, Marleigh would go to whoever in the pack wasn't working or free for the day, or she would sometimes go to the daycare, but everyday was different. I was constantly going everywhere with friends from both the pack and the community college. There wasn't an average day for any of us.

As for today, there was no work to go to, and Marleigh was at school. The world was at my command. Sadly, it had to be put on hold. I had been taking some extra shifts to get more tips and money for my recent paycheck because I was finally tired of the damn air mattress! Every morning we woke up on the floor; the cycle had to be stopped. I had saved most of my two previous checks which helped in case something went wrong. I had already done my research beforehand, and as soon as I dropped off Marleigh I headed straight for a local furniture store. They had the best deals that included delivery because there was no car in our lives. The whole no car situation was _great…_

By the time I finished paying for the mattress, most of my money already disappeared. That was not part of the plan, but when I got there, there was a couch on sale for three hundred and ninety-nine dollars! And it was comfortable, and it matched our home, kinda. It was practically begging to be bought, and I gave in. The plus side is that I managed to get free delivery…since I also bought a cheaper bed frame. Why didn't I have any self control? This was not how I should have handled the situation! I am failing as an adult. If I had a credit card, it would be game over.

On my way back home, I passed a home decor store, and that's when I realized that I didn't have sheets for our new queen bed. Just thinking about the bed made me smile like an idiot. Man, I'm pathetic. Before looking around, I headed straight to the clearance section; my wallet needed a break from expensive purchases. There was a grey sheet set for ten dollars that I immediately grabbed along with a mattress cover for twenty five dollars. Now everything was in order, except for my bank account. That took a huge dent.

When I managed to get to the apartment, I was too excited for the furniture to arrive. About forty minutes go by when the doorbell rings. I swung the door right open to reveal an older man, possibly in his late forties, and a younger looking guy. They both had the uniform from the furniture store. After exchanging pleasantries, and order confirmation, they went right to bringing the furniture up. They even set up the bed frame. They were nice enough to put the furniture where I asked them to. When they were leaving, I gave them a generous tip, and gladly shut the door, since all I wanted was to go lay on my bed. Before jumping onto my new present, I somehow found the energy to put the sheets on, THEN I jumped and laid on the mattress.

It felt like a warm marshmallow was surrounding every part of my body. Sure there were beds at the Rose Inn, but they were used and abused. This bed was untouched, and smelled cleaner than the inn. This was the best, most impulsive purchase I had made so far. It was soooo worth it.

…peace at last…

Marleigh! I almost forgot that I had to walk over to pick her up. Of course when I looked at my phone it showed I was running late. I somehow managed to grab the keys before speeding off. My sense of urgency was to the point that I took the stairs, jumped all the way down, instead of waiting for the elevator. It was moments like these that I regretted getting an apartment on the third floor.

Breathless and worried, a perfect combination of exhaustion as I entered the school property. About half the students were already picked up while Marleigh was standing with her teacher along with a couple other of her classmates. She almost knocked me over as she ran over to cling onto my legs. "Hey Pup, how was school?"

"I got three stickers on my chart! And I played basketball with Natalie and Jasmine. I ate spaghetti." She continued talking about her day all the way to our lovely apartment. Such a simple life she lead, it made me wish I was still a child.

The real treat of the day was Marleigh's reaction to the new furniture. As we stepped into the apartment, she was confused and then happy. The shine in her eyes brought about a heartwarming sensation called love. As much of a pain in the butt my sister could be, I still loved her with all of my heart…And of course, her first course of action was to jump on the couch. Her giggles were filling the apartment as she found new ways to play on the couch. It was like she just received a brand new toy.

Just like any child with a new toy she was distracted enough for me to sneak into the bedroom. I had to make it look brand new meaning I had to fix the sheets. Knowing Marleigh, it would be ruined in a matter of seconds. When I returned back to the living room, Marleigh was on the top of the couch and immediately jumped onto me. "Raaawrrr! I got you!"

"Oh no!" I over exaggerated as she slipped down, eventually hanging onto my neck as her body hung on my back. "I'm going down!" I swirled around the living room, while stopping Marleigh from practically choking me, and then made my way to our room. "AH!" I threw us both onto the bed.

A large gasp and shriek from my little sister. "A bed!" is all I heard before she said more into the mattress. Everything she said sounded like nonsense. She gasped back up for air. A genuine smile came across my face as her face lit up from the joy filling her tiny body.

"Okay sooo I'm going to sleep," I said as I nuzzled my face into a pillow. Part of me was joking and the majority was serious about taking a cat nap.

"Nooooooo," Marleigh whined. As she jumped onto my back I pretended to be asleep by overly exaggerating my snoring. "Sissy, wake up." She got real close to my ears and started blowing air into it which she knows bugged me. Still no budge. "Come on." Then she started slightly jumping up and down on my back. As much as I wanted to whine, I had to stay strong. A small 'hmph' came out of her mouth before throwing herself to the side of the bed. " 'Lina that's not fair." My heart jumped at my old nickname. It _almost_ made me give in, but I was genuinely tired. The sound of my old nickname coming out of her innocent voice caused a sudden sorrow to wash over me. It felt like I was back at home. Alas, we were far from home.

Within a few moments, Marleigh was sleeping. I turned my body around to find her sound asleep on our new bed. The sight made me feel warm inside. Then it was my turn. My light snoring could be heard just a few seconds later…

Something cold and wet seemed to have found it's way onto my shirt. Being in the hazy state of mind it took me a bit to realize it was my lovely sister, drooling…all over my waist. I didn't even take into consideration her sleeping body as I jolted away from disgust. "Ew Mar." I stood up and saw that it went from the front of my stomach and a bit to the side. Gross.

Needless to say, I immediately changed.

Marleigh was trying to wake up, and somehow winning. Groans, and sighs, and bones cracking were coming out of me like I was an old woman. The bed was so comfortable that my body physically hurt from feeling so good. I will never miss the air mattress ever again. I took a look at the crappy, basic cell phone to see that it was almost 11pm. And then a stomach growled, not mine, but Marleigh's.

"Sissy, I'm hungry." Her cranky mood was already starting. Before I could hear anything come out of her mouth I rushed to the kitchen to find no actual meal. It was filled pretzels, teas, peanut butter, and other snacks. From all the furniture shopping, dinner had completely slipped my mind. My plan was to have all this fabulous new furniture along with an equally fabulous homemade meal. We got too wrapped up on our new bed; figuratively and literally. "What are we having for dinner?" Clearly this child had no concept of time.

 _Think, think, think… Oh! The gas station should still be open_. "Let's go on a trip. We could get some hot dogs from the gas station down the street…" She scrunched up her face showing her inner brat. "Oh come on, they're not that bad. We've had some on the road, plus I used to eat them with dad all the time when I was your age."

"Daddy used to eat them?"

"Yup, and still does." _Kinda_. Marleigh and I have different fathers. Mine decided to never be involved in my life, but my uncle Frankie used to get gas station food with me all the time. So technically it was a lie…she just needed food in her mouth as soon as possible.

She instantly started glowing at the mention of her dad, and almost rushed out. "Hey! Let me hold your hand, it's dark out." She practically pulled me all the way to the gas station.

Everything looked delicious when we arrived. The salty pretzels, packaged doughnuts, and even the pre-wrapped sandwiches. When we were checking out there was more junk food than actual food. Chips, candy, and two hot dogs along with two small sodas. We clearly have no impulse control. An older woman was behind the cash register and clearly wanted to be anywhere but here. She didn't judge our poor choices as she scanned each item; she had probably dealt with worse. If I could read minds, she might be wishing that she was watching paint dry rather than working this boring job.

There was a loud bang as she was handing me the change, like a window breaking. Some of the coins dropped out of my hand. Marleigh was just as startled and as we tensed up, the cashier looked at us funny. It was clearly a werewolf thing. Over to the actual gas stations there was a black Camero with a freshly broken window. A man with a leather jacket had his back towards us, but there were several other men surrounding him. There was a lot of tension between the men, and they looked familiar. Not in the sense that we've seen them before, but people like them back home. Hunters.

No matter the families, the intimidation was just the same. The same strong bodies, weapons, deadly stares, and emotions flew out of those hunters. Maybe they were gang members? No, they looked more professional than actual gang members, and more deadly. Then again, it could easily be my small paranoid senses acting up. Ever since leaving our home it became harder to distinguish friend from enemy because people who were our friends turned out to be our enemies. My emotions were just getting the worst of me.

After picking up some of the change I had dropped I noticed the lady went back to reading a magazine. _Yeah, you're a great help_. As the cars filled with so-called hunters left I got the courage to exit the building with my sister. The man with a broken Camero was furious and it didn't take a werewolf to notice his anger.

"Mar, stay next to me." I clutched her hand with the paper bags. What kind of gas station uses paper bags? It just made my life a little more difficult at that moment.

For some strange reason Marleigh wasn't afraid. This was the same girl who jumped two feet from hearing the glass shatter. "Nadia, he's-"

"No, let's go, now." This wasn't the time to be talking, it was the time to be rushing home. Food seemed like simple task yet we managed to make it a scene from a movie.

"But-" The look I have her was enough to shut her mouth. She kept her eyes glued onto the stranger. The horrible gut feeling I had was creating my nerves to act up. So much that I didn't notice a small hand was no longer holding onto mine. Little steps rushed over to the man with the black leather jacket. He had heard her coming and was curious to why a child was running towards him. By the time I noticed, it was too late. "I'm a werewolf too!" The smile on her face with that statement made the man become surprised. And by surprised, it meant he just opened his eyes bit wider.

Shit.

The food smacked onto the concrete as I rushed over to my sister. "Mar! What- don't say- just stop," I quickly said as I scooped her up. "S-s-sorry. She's um- we-we'll be going." My emotions were taking the worst of me, and the oddly attractive man burrowed his eyebrows together in confusion. I could feel my eyes changing and I quickly buried my face into Marleigh's hair.

Breathe in. Breathe out. Breathe in. Breathe out.

Before anything else happened, with Marleigh wrapped in my arms, I left the man standing confused. My hand barely managed to grab the bags before rushing back home. My emotions were still a wreck and if he was a werewolf, it would be easy for him to notice.

* * *

It was a bit after midnight when the food coma finally hit me. Marleigh had finally passed out, from all the sugar, and I had just put her down onto the bed. Before stepping out of the bedroom, I glanced over to see her small body rise up and down from her sleeping state. She was knocked out cold.

Then my whole body tensed as a few knocks came form the door. No one knew who we were or where we lived, so who was on the other side of the door? The smell from the other side was unfamiliar, making me more curious and terrified. Part of me actually liked the smell. The appealing scent of cinnamon blended with vanilla made me slightly relax.

"I can hear you breathing," a male voice spoke out.

Goodbye, relaxation. Every hair on my body stood up while my heart beat increased. If he could hear my breathing then he would definitely hear heartbeat. Instead of looking through the peephole, like a logical person would do, I slightly opened the door. This could have been a hunter, and we could have died. Nope, that wasn't the case.

My heart immediately dropped to the ninth circle of hell.

On the other side was the blue eyed, leather jacket wearing stranger from the gas station. "H-how did you find us?"

"It's not hard when tracking someone that's unstable."

The next moment I had become defensive, and without missing a beat I answered, "I know." Unstable was sometimes used as a term to call werewolves who haven't shifted to their wolf form in long periods of times. Since Marleigh and I have been on the run, I had only changed twice. In order to protect her I had to stay human. It's easy to track a werewolf who hasn't shifted because their emotions become unbalanced causing their scent to be much easier to track.

"It was like finding a light in the middle of the night." Before continuing the conversation I walked out, making sure I left the door open, so that Marleigh wouldn't wake up. "Why are you here?"

"Well you're not one for formalities…" His cold eyes just kept staring at me. He meant to be threatening and it worked. "I can't tell you. I don't trust you. Just the fact you're here means we should be packing our bags." Crap.

"You're on the run. From who? Hunters?" My senses might have been a bit off, but this man seemed a bit worried for us. That was strange especially since Marleigh and I haven't been offered any help in a long time. At least by someone who knew we were wolves.

Silence. All I did was give him a forced smile. This was my way of saying that I wasn't going to tell him anything without actually speaking. Some may say it was my stubbornness, and I would agree. It was a lovely trait that my mother passed down into my genes.

The silence became a bit uncomfortable until he said, "Hale."

During those mere seconds of silence my mind went somewhere else. "Excuse me?" Had he said Hale? As in the Hale family that used to reside here?

"I'm Derek…Hale." Yup, he said Hale. A jolt of memories flew into my head at the mention of his name. The family, my family trip, the fire, and then some embarrassing memories. My cheeks suddenly felt a bit warm.

"Oh- um…nice to meet you." _Again. Hell, he probably doesn't remember me_ … I held out my hand while avoiding a bit of eye contact. He would clearly be able to tell my nerves were getting the worst of me. I'm hoping he thought it was because of revealing he was a Hale and not from ridiculous stories my mom told me. "N-Nadia. Russio. The little one is my sister, Marleigh." His warm hand briefly shook mine.

"Why haven't you shifted?" He wasted no time in getting to the point.

"It's not by choice. Wolf pack, party of two. I have to protect her at all times." That was the truth. It was a stupid choice, but it was my only choice. Could an out of control werewolf on a full moon take care of a child? Not in my experience.

He nodded in understanding as he reached into his pocket. "In case you need any help, here's my number." He held out a short ripped paper between his thumb and pointer finger.

I hesitated before taking the piece of paper. "Thanks…?" I let out an awkward smile because I wasn't expecting him to help. "Um well, I have to get back in there so…goodnight?"

"Night," Derek said with a small smile that, once again, made my cheeks warm up. Before embarrassing myself anymore, I rushed back inside. All the memories of my mom teasing me about him or the horrible summer incident caused this feeling of nostalgia to wash over me.

 _At least those blue eyes haven't changed…_

* * *

 **So there you have it! They FINALLY met Derek. For some reason I thought I already put these two chapters out, but I was clearly wrong. Now the story can finally pick up it's pace.**

 **On a side-note, who do you picture as Marleigh and Nadia? I'm just curious. Personally, I have no clue for Nadia, but for Marleigh I picture Kira from Orphan Black, actress Skyler Wexler. She's adorable, and her character is so sweet on Orphan Black. So yeaaah  
**

 **Thank you for reading and I hope you stick around :)**

 **Lots of love,**

 **Z**


	6. Chapter 5

**I only own my OC's (and hello, once again!)**

* * *

 **Chapter Five: One Way or Another**

On the tips of my fingers was a phone that kindly reflected a ten digit phone number, and the person behind the number couldn't seem to leave my head. Derek was the only person going through my thoughts, and not in the finding-him-attractive king of way, but in the he-might-help-us-stay-hidden way. My finger kept grazing over the buttons on the screen; whether to call or to text, or to do neither. Could I trust a man I've barely seen in more than five years? Yet, he brought hope back into our lives, something that was rare and valuable. Having him in our lives could easily have our perpetrators trace us to Beacon Hills, leaving my sister defenseless, and leaving me to die.

 _Stop!_

These emotions took the worst of me. I had to have control, complete and total control. Running with my sister can be painful, and I should let us be isolated the whole time. It's hard to trust anyone with paranoia plaguing all my thoughts. This wasn't me. That was the most frustrating part of this whole situation. The person I once was feels like lifetimes ago, and it was slowly killing me.

"Screw this," I confidently said out loud as I pressed the call button. One ring, then two, then voicemail. Part of me was relieved I wouldn't have to hear his voice. "Hey Derek, it's Nadia. Um there some stuff we should talk about, and it'd be best to do it sooner rather than later"- _Like when I'm dead_ \- "So g-give me a call back or stop by or something, it's kind of important. So yeah,"- _Sorry for leaving this awkward message_ \- "…bye!" That was more painfully awkward than talking to boys in high school. Then again I was a teenager when I last saw him…

"OOOOO Derek, sounds hot." Abbie's voice made me jump in the air, almost out of my chair. For a brief moment, I had completely forgotten that the break room wasn't a place of seclusion. "Jeez, are you okay, Jumpy?" No. But she doesn't need to know my jar full of werewolf problems.

I conjured up the most convincing fake smile I could at the moment before answering. "He's just a…friend. As for my jumpiness, I'm running on caffeine and three hours of sleep." Not a lie, Marleigh's foot kept jabbing me in the ribs all night. And before work I chugged about two energy drinks. How I'm still alive is the true question.

As she walked over to fill her cup with water she asked, "Like a friend, friend? Or _friend_?" One of her eyebrows perked with with the smile that made it obvious what she was insinuating.

Such an innocent question reminded me of the friends I abandoned back home. "He's just an old friend, but its complicated." That came out more scandalous than I had hoped for.

"Well he is a lucky guy." She winked at me before glancing at the clock. I followed her gaze. "Hey, doesn't Marleigh get out…"

I didn't even get to hear the rest of that sentence as I repeatedly said, "Shit, shit!" The clock said six and the after school program ends at six. My shift ended at five, and I managed to get distracted with my thoughts, aka Derek, for a whole hour. My five minute break quickly exceeded it's limit. I grabbed all of my belongings and somehow managed not to collide with Abbie. My apron even stayed on me. "Bye, Abs!" I somehow managed to yell out and caught her laughing with a goodbye.

A humble feeling fell upon school as the sun subtly hit the playground as it fell into the western mountains. A familiar single pink backpack hung outside the classroom. As calm the whole atmosphere was, my heart racing minor panic mode couldn't be stopped. "I'm here! Hi, I'm here for Marleigh!" I declared as I almost trampled over my own feet while rushing into the classroom.

There was one student, and one teacher left. Punctuality at it's finest. They were startled for a quick moment at my intrusion to their coloring. Gently, the teacher stood up to great me, "Ms. Russio, welcome. Marleigh was just drawing some interesting pictures of your family back in New York." Suddenly I couldn't breath, even if it was for one excruciating second. "Mostly about an Uncle Jerry." A sweet sigh of relief slipped out of my lips. I trust Marleigh, but she is still a kid and can slip out the truth by accident.

As for Jerome, better known as Jerry to Marleigh, he was my great-uncle's grandson, whom I simply called my cousin. We were the closest of the cousins back at home; it was more odd to see us apart then together. When I endured my first heartbreak, he was there to beat up the guy; when I went to jail, he got me out with no questions asked; and when I needed to escape, he was there with a plan. He was the older brother that I never had, and of course Marleigh would miss him too. It would be selfish to say that he was just my favorite when, in reality, he was everyone's favorite. He made everyone feel calm and welcomed. For our pack, he was the sun to a gloomy day.

Before getting lost in my own thoughts, I tiredly replied, "Yeah…family is complicated." Hopefully that was enough to keep her prying into our predicament.

Soon Marleigh said her goodbye, and we were off to our apartment. Being hit with sudden nostalgia, and exhaustion, we were going to take our sweet time getting home. "So you miss Jerry?" I slightly bumped her shoulder as she walked next me.

With her eyes glued to the sidewalk her small voice spoke. "Yeah, he made me laugh and always bought me ice cream." So young, so innocent.

Even if she seemed a bit down, this was the first mention of our family that didn't up in tears- from both sides of the conversation. It seemed that she was accepting that it was just us, no one else. "Maybe we can…" I was about to say 'call Jerry' and that would just be giving her false hope. I trust Jerome with my life except that the pack would follow, and that was a risk that couldn't be taken.

Her sweet hazelnut, angelic eyes and long lashes stared up at me as she asked, "Is uncle Jerry ever going to visit us?" Every part of me wanted to yell yes, to tell her I'd call him tonight, and everything will be back to normal. Nothing will ever be back to normal. Being serrated from the pack is never good for a werewolf, and it was causing an emotional and physical toll on my body. I'm becoming weak and vulnerable, and being with my pack would fix us. Shit.

"No, I'm sorry, Pup." That was all I could muster up to say. Every part of me wants to tell her the truth, to tell her why we are constantly on the run, but she was too young to understand. Her innocence is keeping her alive.

"Aww man." She did not hide the glimmer of disappointment in her groan. "Maybe next week we can go over there and visit." My heart shattered into a million pieces at her statment. We might never be safe to return home. We may never see our family again.

* * *

About a quarter after nine is when we began to unwind for the night. Somehow we managed to eat too much and our bellies were full while our smiles had a hint of sleepiness. Almost like post-thanksgiving dinner. "Keep doing your homework, I'm going to make a call," I let my little sister know as she continued to practice writing the letter D. She barely mustered out a 'mhmm' from the slight exhaustion.

There was no way she could know that I was going to call Jerome. My homesickness hit an all time low. I stood in front of the apartment complex, contemplating whether or not to call. What would I even tell him? _Hey, Jer. How's home?_

Or, _Jer, it's been a while, give or take eleven months._

Or just a simple, _I'm sorry._

One again, there I was staring onto the screen of my phone. With only five numbers in my contacts, his stood out the most. The memories we shared felt like years ago, and with the one second of courage I pressed the call button.

 _"We're sorry, the number you have dialed has been disconnected or no longer in service."_

That automated voice was worse than anything I had experienced these past months. It hit me like a hurricane of emotions. The constricting feeling in my chest made it harder for me to hold back my tears. That small glimmer of hope was taken away in a matter of seconds. My blurred vision and oncoming headache forced me to sit on the curb of the street. It was horrible token in my wolf, but to hold in my emotions? Impossible. The tears flowed out like a steady stream while I tried to compose myself. The more I thoughts of Jerome, the harder it was to stop crying.

Why? Did they catch him? Or was this one of his plans so that they couldn't find us? The one daunting thought was that they could have hurt him, and that was all on me. That's what hurt me the most.

Inhale. Exhale. Inhale. Exhale. Complete and utter control.

After a few minutes, everything went back to semi-normal. This meltdown just meant that Derek was right: I had to shift in the next new moon. Friggin' Derek. Wait… he never called back. After all this nostalgia, it managed to forget about the present. Unlike earlier I immediately called Derek. The one thing that threw me off was the generic ringtone that was loud enough for me to hear. Down the street, to my left and a couple yards away, there was Derek walking towards me.

Coincidence? Probably.

Before he could reach me, I wiped under my eyes and stood up. "Hey, talk about perfect timing." Although I mustered up a welcoming smile, my red eyes were a dead give away that something was wrong. Yet, somehow, he was in worse shape. Both wolfsbane and fire had a faint smell that lingered on his burned skin…? "Is everything alright?"

"Nothing to worry about." Liar. "…I bought ice cream for you and your sister." He raised a plastic bag that clearly had a tub of delicious ice cream. Did ice cream as a bribe to forget about the obvious smell work? Yes. Damn my sweet tooth. "I got your message, sorry for not calling back."

"No worries, it seems your day was…busy." The clearly confused smile was a sign that he would definitely tell me about his later tonight. "Anyways, come on up to our humble abode." The ride up was a bit awards considering neither of us spoke and the elevator was slightly slower than usual. It was as if both of us wanted to say something, but the air was just filled with an awkward tension.

 _Ding!_

The elevator doors opened to let in the awkward-free, fresh air. I led him to my apartment and stopped right before entering. I turned to him to warn him. "Listen, my sister has this thing about boundaries, she doesn't have any. Unlike normal five year olds, she isn't shy when meeting new…wolves." He put on a reassuring smile before I opened the beat up door.

There in front of us was a child with an array of dolls spread across the floor. The guilty looking Marleigh quickly turned into a typical surprised child. She gave a huge grin to the man behind me. As he walked in, and I closed the door, Marleigh practically ran up to him. "You're the wolf!"

"Yeah, I am, and you are?" He asked with a gorgeous smile.

"I'm Marleigh Russio."

"Marleigh, this is Derek, he's a friend." Before she opened her mouth to speak again, I told Derek, "I can take this"- I grabbed the ice cream-"Make yourself at home. My lovely sister will probably talk your ear off."

I wasn't even finished speaking to him when Marleigh happily said, "My dad is a wolf too!"

"Mar, come here," I said before whispering into her ear, "Maybe Derek can help you with your homework." Derek clearly hear what I had said, and I just had a smug grin. He just returned the gesture with a playful glare. It didn't take long for Marleigh to be talking non-stop to Derek, who simply had a grin on the whole time where playing along with her stories. "Mar, homework." Even at such a young age, she groaned in protest. Somehow Derek convinced her to help her.

For about half an hour, Derek and Marleigh sat on the couch while I sat on the pillow. "So D for Derek," Marleigh wondered as she looked at her writing, and Derek returned with an encouraging smile. After her homework, she ate a bit of ice cream followed by a sugar rush. Even the sugar rush wasn't enough to keep her mom icing me her drowsy eyes. Of course, her stubborn child nature protested until she exhausted herself to sleep.

"This five year old is officially knocked out," I told Derek as I gently closed the bedroom door. He was patiently waiting on the couch and I simply plopped myself next to him. "She won't be able to hear anything, she's super heavy sleeper." Now onto the more serious conversation.

As curious as I was to know why he reeked of wolfsbane, I was hesitant to let him know about our situation. Honestly, confrontation was a weakness of mine.

"What did you want to talk about?" The concern was undeniable in his voice, but it was still very blunt.

"I don't know where to start, honestly. Well, hunters aren't the ones chasing us, it's a werewolf. He threatened my family and wanted to kill me while taking my sister to manipulate into his own solider. So when my mom told us to run, we ran. So when we leave, and you see a power hungry, kind of old werewolf roam through town, would you please hide our scents? That would help a lot."

His face was unreadable throughout my whole confession and it was only a few seconds of silence before he confidently said, "You should stay." The mixture of confusion and surprise from me was enough for him to continue explaining. "You're practically an omega, hell you are one. The fact that you're sitting here is unbelievable, especially since there's someone after the both of you. I know this town and I can help you stay hidden." The way he proposed his idea was too comfortable as if he was already planning on telling me. Why would he want to help? What did he gain from helping us?

Which led me to my next question, "Derek, are you the only wolf here?"

The Hale family had made their imprint on Beacon Hills, but was it possible that others survived? He had every right to be hesitant in his answer considering the vulnerability he would put himself if he was alone, or, if he wasn't, exposing his family. "There's a teenager, recently bitten, and there's an Alpha. We're not in a pack." Odd circumstances, of course.

"Are the Alpha and teenager part of a pack?"

"No, we don't know who the Alpha is." We? Well at least he's talked to the kid. Teenager is hard enough, slapping on wolf supernatural abilities makes it a hurricane of problems. As for the Alpha, it was too strange to completely ignore. "The Alpha appeared out of no where. I don't know who he or she is, or where they came from." And there he goes reading my mind.

"So that explains the wolfsbane and burning flesh?" His whole demeanor became more tense and slightly nervous.

"Hunters." What?

"H-hunters? Ar-are you serious right now?" Every single bad situation went through my mind at once. My heart rate increased as I started to panic a bit, and I even got up from my seat to slightly pace back and forth. "Derek, this isn't something small. We-we can't be- I gotta start packing." My agitated, and racing breaths were a tell-tale sign something was wrong with me.

"Nadia, you need to calm down." Suddenly my body began to pulsate in a familiar way. Derek rushed in front of my collapsing body. My surroundings blurred as my instincts started to surface. My red vision started to appear meaning my golden eyes were staring right at Derek. My claws started to grow and 'wolfing out' only caused my panic to increase. "Nadia, think about Marleigh. She is fast asleep right now." And that's exactly what happened. The thought of my sister calmed me enough to take control of my actions and go back to a regular-ish human.

That moment was one of the most terrifying realizations: I'm afraid of shifting. It felt so unnatural for me to shift, almost like forcing to deny myself the freedom.

From the pure embarrassment, I swiftly stood up from the arm of the couch and rushed around Derek to the kitchen. "Sorry, it's been hard. I'm going to make some tea, do you want some?" Avoiding all eye contact was my go-to move in these situations. As I rustled through the cabinets for a mug and tea, Derek followed. His answer didn't even reach my ears as I quickly put the mug with water in the microwave.

"Nadia, look at me." No way in hell. "Look me." Fine. I unwillingly turned to face Derek, who was closer than expected. "You need to shift, soon, with or without a full moon." The sincerity in his voice was enough to agree with a slight nod.

"How about this…I shift, soon, and a-afterwards we'll talk about this again. I'll be thinking more clearly a-and like myself." I was unwilling to participate in this sort of confrontation, and he just had to bring up my condition.

"Tomorrow, you'll shift tomorrow." _Pardon me?_

"W-what? Tomorrow I have work I can't." No, no, no, no. Soon meant the next full moon which would be next week, not the next day.

"Tomorrow night." Damn. Derek made this seem like the easiest task in the whole world, but it wasn't. He doesn't know the horrible things we've endured these past months; he doesn't know how long it's been since I truly shifted; and he doesn't know that I can lose control in the matter of seconds. He meant well, just doesn't know that he needs to slow down. What's the rush?

There was still the third person to consider during this whole ordeal. "Who'll look over my sister?"

"I will."

"Ha! No, you won't because if I lose control then you need to be there and stop me."

"You're always going to use her as an excuse." Shit, he was right. "I know someone who can babysit, you can drop her off and approve or not." Part of my wanted to trust him while the logical side told me not to, except I couldn't trust either so I stayed silent. "Trust me."

 _I'll try, Derek._

* * *

 **Hello, everyone! It's been a while, but I come with great news. I've started university which means I have more time to write. I know that sounds contradicting, but I transferred to my dream school so now the term "C's get degrees" really does apply to me. Still, let me be real, and say that my updates will probably be monthly (which is better than seasonal, right?). I am still so sorry that it took me so long to update. Forgive me?**

 **SOOOO going back to my last message, I kinda picture Troian Bellisario from PLL (I've never watched the show, but physically I picture her as Nadia) & for Marleigh I definitely picture Skyler Wexler who plays Kira on Orphan Black (if you've seen the show, then like season 1 Kira). Idk, I think they look like siblings, do you think so? Let me know what you think.**

 **Oh! And I just realized today, as I'm uploading, that these chapters are kind of short. On my documents it seems so much longer, but here it's not that impressive, so let me know if you want longer chapters and I will happily grant your wishes :)**

 **Until next time, have a good one!**

 **Love, Z**

 **(p.s. if you see any spelling or grammatical errors, let me know through PM, it would be greatly appreciated, thanks!)**


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